Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-07-09
Mind there is NO bungling, that

is an
aYah, YAH said the fat faced man, ayou
can trust US for that. II won't be the first
time that we have toppled over If | have
my warrant ask nothing better than to go
on shooting Engiishmen all night, one down,
the other come on | know no prettier sight
than an Engiishman topping over
Stop that talk and saddle up, the cart is
waiting. You fools can never understand the
difference between killing when it Is neces-
sary to kill and killing for killings sake.
These people must die because they have be
trayed the land -
Yah. YAH said the yilderbeeste, 'be-
trayed the land, we have heard that before
Those who betray the land must manure ii;
that is a good rule" and be laughed and
PASSED on
Frank Muller watched his retreating form
with smile of peculiar malignity on his
handsome face. @Ah. my friend, he said to
himself in Dutch, "you and that warrant viii
part company before you are many hours
older Why. it would be enough to hang me,
even in this happy land of patriots. Old -
would not forgive even me for taking that
little liberty with his name. Dear me, what
a lot of trouble one has TO take to be rid Of
single enemyi Well, it must be done, and
Bessie is well worth IL; but if it had not been
for this war could never have managed it.
Ali did well TO give my voice for war.
am sorry for tho girl jess. but it must be;
there must be 10 living witness left. All, We
are going to have storm. So much the bet
ter. Such deeds are best done in a storm"
Muller was right; the storm WAS coming
up fast, throwing vail of inky cloud across
the star spangled sky. In South Africa there
is but little twilight and the darkness follows
hard upon the heels of the day. No sooner
had tho great angry ball of the sun finally
disappeared than the night swept with all her
stars across the sky. And now after her came
the great storm, covering UP her beauty with
his blackness. The air WIS stiflingly hot.
Above was starry space; to the east the
angry bosom of the storm, in which the
lightnings were already playing with an in
cessaDt Pickering movement, and to the west
deep red glow, reflected from the sunken
sun. yet fingered on the horizon
On toiled the horses through the gathering
gloom Fortunately the road was fairly
level and free from mudholes, and Frank
Muller rode Just ahead to show the way, bis
strong, manly form standing cut clear against
the departing western glow.
It was an awful night Great pillars Of
mud colored sky came creeping across the
surface of the veldt toward them, seemingly
blown along without wind And now, too,
q giastly looking ringed moon arose and
threw q weird, distorted light upon the black
ness that seemed to shudder in her rays. as
though with prescience Of the advancing
terror On erept the mud colored columns,
and on above them, and resting on them,
came the muttering storm The cart was
quite close 70 the river now, and they could
plainly hear its murrnur To their left was
koppie, covered with white. slahlike stones,
on which the sickly moonbeams danced
Look, John, look" cried jess. with a
hysterical laugh: lit looks like huge grave
yard. and the dark shadows between are the
ghosts of the buried
Nonsense said John. sternly: what do
YOU mean BY talking such rubbish
He felt that she was little off her balance,
and, what is more, he was getting rather off
angrier with her, and the more determined
to be perfectly matter of fact.
jess made no answer, but she was frightened
she could not tell why. The whole thing re
sembled some awful dream, or one of Dore's
pictures come to life. No doubt, also, the
near presence of the storm exercised an effect
upon her nerves. Even the wearied horses
snorted and shook themselves uneasily.
They crept over the ridge of wave of
land. and the wheels rolled softly on the
grass
@Whv, we are off the roadr shouted John
TO Muller, who was still guiding them, fifteen
OF twenty PAGES ahead.
IAN right all right it is a short cut to the
ford,7 he called in answer and his voice rang
strange and hollow through the great depths
of the silence.
Below them, hundred yards away, the
light, such as it was, CLEANED family upon
the wide surface Of the river. Another five
minutes and they were on its shore, but in
the gathering gloom they could not make out
the opposite bank.
Turn to the left" shouted Muller: "the
ford Is few yards up. 1t too deep here for
the horses
John turned accordingly, and followed
Muller's horse some 800 yards up the bank
till they came to spot where the water rar
with an angry music, and there was great
swirl Of eddies.
Here is the place. said Muller; you must
make haste through. The house is just the
other side. and it win be better to get there
before the tempest breaks
Its all very we'll, said John. but l can't
see an inch before me; don't know where to
drive"
"Drive straight ahead, the water is not
%b,,
rocks"
Il am not going. and that is all about it."
you must go, Capt Mel You cannot
stop here and if you can we cannot. Look
there, man. and he pointed to the east, which
now presented a truly awful and magnificent
sight
Down, right on to them its center bowed
out like the belly of a sail By the weight of
the wind behind, swept the great storm cloud,
while over all its surface the lightning played
increasingly, appearing and disappearing in
needles Of fire, and twisting and writing ser
pentwise round about its outer edges.
The distant muttering of thunder that they
had heard had died away, and now the great
storm swept on in silent majesty, like the
passage of a ghostly host from which there
dIJSe no sfttliu VI ittt Ut fbftllE VI NUttis
Only before it sped the swift angels of the
wind, and behind it swung the curtain of the
rain.
Even as Muller spoke a gust of icy air
caught the cart and tilted it. and the light
ming needles began to play more dreadfully
than ever. The storm was breaking upon
them
"Come, get on, get on" he shouted, you
will be killed here: the lightning always
strikes along the water and as he said it he
struck one of the wheelers sharply with his
whip
"Climb over the back of the seat Mouti,
and stand by to help me with the reinsl" sung
out John 20 the Zulu, who obeyed, getting be
tween him and jess
"Now, jess, bang on, and say your prayers,
for it strikes me we shall have need of them
So, horses, so!'
The horses backed and plunged, but Muller
on the one side and the smooth faced Boer on
the other dashed them without mercy, and at
last they went into the river with rush.
The gust had passed now, and for moment
or two there was renewed silence, except for